There’s a lot going on with Ricky Rubio these days.
Thanks to a great second half, Utah’s starting point guard is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career. On Wednesday night against the Boston Celtics, he wore custom-made shoes, honoring his mother and loved ones he’s lost to cancer.
And he’s in the middle of a playoff race, something he’s a newbie to.
Rubio has yet to be on a team that’s qualified for the postseason. So, if the Jazz make the playoffs, Rubio satisfies what was an individual goal when he was traded to Utah last summer.
“It’s something that would be a great experience,” Rubio said. “I remember when I was playing in EuroLeague, we were making the playoffs every year. When I came to Minnesota, it didn’t go that way. I’ve missed the feeling, so hopefully we take care of business.”
On Wednesday, Rubio’s shoes included specific names of family he’s lost to cancer. He’s been vocal and aggressive in the community in contributing to the prevention of cancer and attempting to raise cancer awareness.
He wanted to honor that against the Celtics, and had his shoes made by Kickstradamous, a shoe designer renowned in the NBA community.
“We were doing 5 for the Fight night, and I wanted to recognize all of my friends and family who I have lost to cancer,” Rubio said. “There have been a lot of people close to me, and I just wanted to honor them.”
To be absent
For the first time since the Utah Jazz brought summer league basketball back to Salt Lake City, the Boston Celtics won’t be a part of it.
The Celtics, like the rest of the league, will play in the Las Vegas Summer League, but that will be it.
Boston coach Brad Stevens said the length of playing in two summer leagues became an issue, in terms of dodging minor injuries and fighting fatigue. So, when conferring with Boston executive Danny Ainge, the organization decided to step away from Utah’s summer league.
“Last year at the end of Las Vegas, some of the guys started to get tired,” Stevens said. “It was long, so we just wanted to think about the guys. We loved Utah. One of the unique things about their summer league was that playing there was like playing a true road game. Their fans were really into it, and they had a great atmosphere.”
Short-handed
The Celtics played Wednesday night without starting center Al Horford and starting forward Marcus Morris, while already being without star guard Kyrie Irving and one of their best defenders in Marcus Smart.
Somber seconds
Before Wednesday’s matchup, the Jazz held a moment of silence throughout Vivint Smart Home Arena in the memory of Zeke Upshaw, the G League player who tragically passed away this week from sudden cardiac arrest.
Upshaw played in the Detroit Pistons’ organization.
